** CHINA. Firedrake Dec 26: 1430-1436, and 1555-1600, complete bandscans from 7 to 19 MHz found none at all. I was hoping for some, as at the earlier hour, CNR1 + jammers were all over the 6 and 7 MHz bands with VG signals.
Dec 26 at the late hour of 1622, I tune the 6 MHz band to see if anything is still audible some 2.5 hours after sunrise here: yes! On 6145, Chinese with poor signal, virtually the OSOB, and // better signals on 7365, 7415. Since 6145 and 7365 bear RTI, and 7415 bears RFA via Tinian, it`s obvious that I am hearing neither of those but the CNR1 jamming; site? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 7220, Dec 26 at 1358, the REE IS is clearly heard until 1400 timesignal, CRI theme, Chinese ID and opening in a S Asian language, amid heavy SSB QRhaM. They`re doing it again. In B-09 we were hearing this when there was *no* REE transmission scheduled before or after this hour on this frequency from anywhere. Spain does have a 12-14 UT relay in Spanish to the Philippines via Beijing site, so the ChiCom are *still/again* feeding the REE IS by mistake to the Kunming site.
I suppose the Nepali service must be on the same satellite feed channel as the preceding relay of Spain, and the operators at Kunming (or whoever programmed the automation) fail to skip the REE IS prior to the CRI Nepali service. 7220 is a very busy frequency, with overlapping transmissions by Ethiopia, Vietnam, China and Russia, but at this particular time, only CRI in Nepali via Kunming is scheduled at 14-15. See my previous more detailed analysis from Feb 2010 in http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld1008.txt (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, Dec 26 at 1600, VOI is on as confirmed by checking its characteristic off-frequency, very poor signal with hum, music, pause, announcement maybe in Arabic, as is usually the case per http://rri.jpn.org/ tho the start time varies widely. Meanwhile, the English hour at 13-14 remains a total loss here, weak and undermodulated carrier, barely detectable, blocked by huge signals from China radio war on 9530 until 1400. We had it so good in the summer when VOI English could be heard well some mornings in North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, Dec 26 at 0609, IGIM is on with chanting. Tonight the MUF is unusually low, about 8.5 MHz, with the 9 MHz band dead, while many nights the MUF is somewhat above 10 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 15280 // weaker 17540, Dec 26 at 1547, America is deeply indebted to RRI for broadcasting our pop music in its Arabic service, almost incomprehensible YL English lyrix including ``Bring me down``; 1549 Arabic announcement and more (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875, Dec 26 at 0615, RTI via WYFR is still in wrong language, German instead of Spanish. I tire of logging it every night, probably as much as you tire of reading about, but such anomalies need to be documented. Yes, it is still `wrong` as in Taibei they think they are only on 75m via Skelton and Issoudun in the evenings:
http://german.rti.org.tw/Content/WhatsNewSingle.aspx?ContentID=134328
I sent them a brief query about this via their website (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15200, Dec 26 at 1540, VOT fair signal with VG Turkish music, 1551 liner and Arabic ID as `Huna Saut Turkiye`. Fortunately, I tuned in after the collision from KTWR Guam in English until 1525/1535 depending on day of week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 9740, Dec 26 at 1406-1429, BBCWS via Singapore with `HARDtalk`: I was bandscanning, but encountering this starting at 1406, I could not tune any further, had to keep listening as oceanographer Sylvia Earle was being interviewed: if you care about *breathing*, what she has to say is extremely important. Audio available for only seven days:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mb3pm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12050, Dec 26 at 1625 I noticed that WEWN Spanish had a heavy subaudible heterodyne of 140/minute = 2.33 Hz, tho the rate was fluxuating slightly over the 15-second period I counted 35. Per all the schedules, there is no broadcaster in the world at any time on 12050 except WEWN. Could it be test of another WEWN transmitter? But the other two should be in continuous use on 11550, 15610. FCC, HFCC, Aoki, and EiBi all show there is a one-hour gap in this otherwise lengthy 12050 broadcast between 10 and 24 UT, at 17-18, during which there is an antenna change from 155 to 220 degrees. RCM`s own schedule makes clearer what is happening: 12050 changes to 13830 at 17, and 11550 changes to 12050 at 18.
Recheck at 1629 in case something else is about to sign on, and the SAH is gone, but not the squeal. Didn`t WEWN originally have four transmitters and four frequencies at once? Yes, WRTH 2012 reminds us that they have 3 x 500 kW plus 1 x 500 kW ``backup``, so they can switch around among four transmitters, and that explains the double signal on 12050, Catholix vs Catholix! Note registrations show them using only half the rated power, and there have been allegations by insiders that the real power is considerably less than that. Dirty little secret among SW broadcasters: unless brand-new, or fighting jamming, most do run less than rated power, to save costs and/or prolong tube life, or because the creaky old machines won`t run full power, let alone full modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15385.4, Dec 25 at 1935 check, KJES is on with VG signal, and still hasn`t done anything to get back on frequency despite the FCC NOV (which concerned 11715 only; will they have to be cited separately for each of the three frequencies?). Nor has the latter been corrected, 11714.8 still Dec 26 at 1624 check during choir (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Dec 26 at the late hour of 1622, I tune the 6 MHz band to see if anything is still audible some 2.5 hours after sunrise here: yes! On 6145, Chinese with poor signal, virtually the OSOB, and // better signals on 7365, 7415. Since 6145 and 7365 bear RTI, and 7415 bears RFA via Tinian, it`s obvious that I am hearing neither of those but the CNR1 jamming; site? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 7220, Dec 26 at 1358, the REE IS is clearly heard until 1400 timesignal, CRI theme, Chinese ID and opening in a S Asian language, amid heavy SSB QRhaM. They`re doing it again. In B-09 we were hearing this when there was *no* REE transmission scheduled before or after this hour on this frequency from anywhere. Spain does have a 12-14 UT relay in Spanish to the Philippines via Beijing site, so the ChiCom are *still/again* feeding the REE IS by mistake to the Kunming site.
I suppose the Nepali service must be on the same satellite feed channel as the preceding relay of Spain, and the operators at Kunming (or whoever programmed the automation) fail to skip the REE IS prior to the CRI Nepali service. 7220 is a very busy frequency, with overlapping transmissions by Ethiopia, Vietnam, China and Russia, but at this particular time, only CRI in Nepali via Kunming is scheduled at 14-15. See my previous more detailed analysis from Feb 2010 in http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld1008.txt (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, Dec 26 at 1600, VOI is on as confirmed by checking its characteristic off-frequency, very poor signal with hum, music, pause, announcement maybe in Arabic, as is usually the case per http://rri.jpn.org/ tho the start time varies widely. Meanwhile, the English hour at 13-14 remains a total loss here, weak and undermodulated carrier, barely detectable, blocked by huge signals from China radio war on 9530 until 1400. We had it so good in the summer when VOI English could be heard well some mornings in North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, Dec 26 at 0609, IGIM is on with chanting. Tonight the MUF is unusually low, about 8.5 MHz, with the 9 MHz band dead, while many nights the MUF is somewhat above 10 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 15280 // weaker 17540, Dec 26 at 1547, America is deeply indebted to RRI for broadcasting our pop music in its Arabic service, almost incomprehensible YL English lyrix including ``Bring me down``; 1549 Arabic announcement and more (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN [non]. 6875, Dec 26 at 0615, RTI via WYFR is still in wrong language, German instead of Spanish. I tire of logging it every night, probably as much as you tire of reading about, but such anomalies need to be documented. Yes, it is still `wrong` as in Taibei they think they are only on 75m via Skelton and Issoudun in the evenings:
http://german.rti.org.tw/Content/WhatsNewSingle.aspx?ContentID=134328
I sent them a brief query about this via their website (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15200, Dec 26 at 1540, VOT fair signal with VG Turkish music, 1551 liner and Arabic ID as `Huna Saut Turkiye`. Fortunately, I tuned in after the collision from KTWR Guam in English until 1525/1535 depending on day of week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non]. 9740, Dec 26 at 1406-1429, BBCWS via Singapore with `HARDtalk`: I was bandscanning, but encountering this starting at 1406, I could not tune any further, had to keep listening as oceanographer Sylvia Earle was being interviewed: if you care about *breathing*, what she has to say is extremely important. Audio available for only seven days:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00mb3pm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 12050, Dec 26 at 1625 I noticed that WEWN Spanish had a heavy subaudible heterodyne of 140/minute = 2.33 Hz, tho the rate was fluxuating slightly over the 15-second period I counted 35. Per all the schedules, there is no broadcaster in the world at any time on 12050 except WEWN. Could it be test of another WEWN transmitter? But the other two should be in continuous use on 11550, 15610. FCC, HFCC, Aoki, and EiBi all show there is a one-hour gap in this otherwise lengthy 12050 broadcast between 10 and 24 UT, at 17-18, during which there is an antenna change from 155 to 220 degrees. RCM`s own schedule makes clearer what is happening: 12050 changes to 13830 at 17, and 11550 changes to 12050 at 18.
Recheck at 1629 in case something else is about to sign on, and the SAH is gone, but not the squeal. Didn`t WEWN originally have four transmitters and four frequencies at once? Yes, WRTH 2012 reminds us that they have 3 x 500 kW plus 1 x 500 kW ``backup``, so they can switch around among four transmitters, and that explains the double signal on 12050, Catholix vs Catholix! Note registrations show them using only half the rated power, and there have been allegations by insiders that the real power is considerably less than that. Dirty little secret among SW broadcasters: unless brand-new, or fighting jamming, most do run less than rated power, to save costs and/or prolong tube life, or because the creaky old machines won`t run full power, let alone full modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15385.4, Dec 25 at 1935 check, KJES is on with VG signal, and still hasn`t done anything to get back on frequency despite the FCC NOV (which concerned 11715 only; will they have to be cited separately for each of the three frequencies?). Nor has the latter been corrected, 11714.8 still Dec 26 at 1624 check during choir (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
